Languages › French French Silent Letters and Pronunciation Share Flipboard Email Print Tetra Images/Getty Images French Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Grammar Resources For Teachers By Staff Author Updated February 21, 2020 One of the difficulties with French pronunciation is that it is not a phonetic language. A phonetic language (e.g., Spanish, Arabic) is one in which each letter has a single corresponding sound; in other words, spelling matches the pronunciation. Other languages, like French and English, are not phonetic: they have letters that can be pronounced in different ways or sometimes not at all. There are three categories of silent letters in French. E muet / Elision H muet and aspiré Final consonants This lesson will focus on final consonants; follow the links to the right for detailed explanations of the silent letters E and H. The basic rule of French pronunciation is that the final consonant is not pronounced, but there are many exceptions, which are what this lesson is about.* The letters B, C, F, K, L, Q, and R are usually pronounced at the end of a word. Tip: Since B, K, and Q are rare as final consonants, some people find it helpful to use the word CaReFuL to remember the most common of the usually pronounced final consonants. Usually pronounced Some exceptions* B le Maghreb un snob un club le plomb C un truc un flic avec un estomac, un tabac, le porc nasal vowel + c: un banc, blanc F actif un chef un oeuf un nerf, une clef, oeufs K un anorak un look le bifteck L il avril un hôtel un bol gentil, outil; vowel + -il: à l'appareil, un oeil The other French consonants are usually silent at the end of a word, with some exceptions. Tip: Many exceptions are proper names or words borrowed from other languages. Usually silent Some exceptions* D froid chaud d'accord sud; Proper names: David, Alfred G le sang long le grog M, N un balcon parfum Latin words: amen, forum P un drap beaucoup un champ un slip, un cap S exprès trois vous bas un fils, un autobus, le tennis T et abricot salut vingt brut, ouest, huit; -ct ending: direct, strict; -pt ending: concept, sept X deux un prix un époux six, index, Aix Z chez le riz le gaz Note: The words plus and tout have their own pronunciation rules. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Author, Staff. "French Silent Letters and Pronunciation." ThoughtCo, May. 12, 2021, thoughtco.com/french-silent-letters-and-pronunciation-4078906. Author, Staff. (2021, May 12). French Silent Letters and Pronunciation. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-silent-letters-and-pronunciation-4078906 Author, Staff. "French Silent Letters and Pronunciation." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-silent-letters-and-pronunciation-4078906 (accessed July 31, 2021). copy citation